I just finished reading Jill Mansell’s You and Me, Always, which is, unsurprisingly, another romantic tale that I always tend to turn to. I often turn to stories of this particular genre as I always seem to enjoy them. In this story, the protagonist’s name is Lily whose life changes on her twenty-fifth birthday when she receives her last birthday letter from her mother who passed away years ago. In this letter, she learns about a man named Declan that Lily’s mother loved many years ago and is determined to meet him. On the same day, she meets a movie star, Eddie, and pursues a relationship with him.

Lily’s new relationships with Eddie and Declan affects her current relationships with the other important people in her life, which we learn quite a bit about as Mansell focuses on each character’s own story, and not just Lily’s. I am pleased with this approach that Mansell takes because I am often curious about other characters that are not the protagonist and their own personal story. I am also pleased that Mansell is able to really grasp the true feelings and emotions of each character.

I initially described You and Me, Always as a romantic tale, which clearly implies that romance occurs in the story. However, I also find this story to encompass much more than romance, and as I was reading, I felt a vast range of emotions and feelings. I sympathized with Lily whenever her mother was mentioned, and felt angry when her father came back into the picture, and felt excited when two characters entered a romantic relationship. This range of emotions that I felt throughout the story made the plot all the more enticing than I initially thought it would be when I first picked up the book. This book may affect you in an entirely different way! Let me know if it does!